INDIA: At least 15 passengers are killed and 25 others severely injured, after a passenger train, travelling in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, catches fire.

Record ID: 1377448

  • Title: INDIA: At least 15 passengers are killed and 25 others severely injured, after a passenger train, travelling in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, catches fire.
  • Date: 30th July 2012
  • Summary: RESIDENTS AT THE SITE DAMAGED COACH OF THE TRAIN
  • Embargoed: 14th August 2012 21:14
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Accidents,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVAHQJM0E7A9QRGRCK03N4JI2WV
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: At least 15 people were killed and 25 others severely injured, after a passenger train, travelling in India's southern Andhra Pradesh state, caught fire in the early hours on Monday (July 30).
    A coach of the Tamil Nadu Express, travelling from New Delhi to southern Chennai city, caught fire as it was passing through the Nellore station.

    "In the incident, one coach of '12622 New Delhi-Chennai Express' caught fire. The coach S11 sleeper class was the 20th coach from the engine. As soon as an official noticed the flames, he informed the Deputy SS (Station Superintendent) of the Nellore station and the Nellore station tried to stop the train. The train was then stopped. But as per the information, 15 persons have been killed and 25 were injured," said the spokesperson of Indian Railways, Anil Saxena.
    The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
    Local media reports said the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit and that most of the passengers were asleep when the incident happened.
    The injured were rescued and admitted to a nearby hospital. The death toll is expected to rise further, officials said, as 72 passengers were travelling in the coach.
    Saxena said the coach has been detached from the train and the rest of the coaches have left for Chennai.
    India's railway network is one of the world's largest.
    But decades of low investment, a patchy safety record as a result of ageing infrastructure and frequent delays mean India has fallen far behind China in building a network fit for Asia's third-largest economy.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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